"It really wasn't me," Malfoy quickly defended himself with obvious desperation.
"Yes, I can testify that it wasn't Malfoy," Crabbe immediately said.
"They were already like this when we arrived," Goyle added for support.
However, no one believed their words.
Everyone looked at them with shock and disbelief, and several female teachers couldn't help but cover their chests, obviously frightened by the scene.
Even Snape looked at Malfoy with distrust in his eyes.
"Ha, Malfoy, caught red-handed! What did you do to Filch and his cat?" Ron questioned loudly with obvious accusation.
"Malfoy, so it was you all along!" Harry said coldly.
"It wasn't me!" Malfoy's face was deathly pale.
At this moment, he felt like he couldn't explain himself no matter what he said.
"Are they... dead or...?" someone asked in genuine terror.
Snape narrowed his eyes, quickly walked over, and carefully examined Filch and Mrs. Norris with professional attention.
Professor McGonagall and the others followed closely.
"Very powerful dark magic. It shouldn't have been done by them," Snape said with simple assessment.
"What a pity. If I had been here when it happened, I would definitely have found a way to cast spells to save them," Lockhart said pretentiously after looking at Filch's frozen body.
"He's not dead. He should be petrified," Professor McGonagall said with serious evaluation.
She could sense traces of dark magic on Filch. Combined with Dudley and Harry's previous encounter, the Filch before them should still be salvageable.
"Oh... well, I could tell from the start they weren't dead, just petrified. What I meant was, if I had been here at the time, one spell could have lifted this petrification. Unfortunately, it's too late now," Lockhart's expression stiffened, but he quickly recovered with his usual confidence.
Professor McGonagall glanced at Lockhart with obvious scepticism, almost rolling her eyes.
"Professor, when we came here, they were already like this. It wasn't me," Malfoy quickly came to Snape's side for protection.
Snape nodded. He had already determined that Malfoy didn't have the ability to accomplish this.
"Malfoy, why are you here? I remember I already notified all students not to wander around," Dudley slowly walked over, staring directly at Malfoy.
"I..." Malfoy was momentarily speechless, showing obvious panic, but immediately realised something and retorted sarcastically, "What gives you the right to control me? You're not even a school professor. What interrogator? I don't recognise you at all."
"Mr. Malfoy, I also said in the Great Hall just now that students shouldn't wander around. I think I have that authority," Professor McGonagall spoke directly before Dudley could respond.
"Professor McGonagall, I..." Malfoy's expression looked increasingly uncomfortable as he looked to Professor Snape beside him for help.
He could ignore Dudley's orders, but he couldn't violate Professor McGonagall's direct commands.
"Professor McGonagall, Malfoy he..." Snape pondered for a moment but still opened his mouth, intending to defend his student.
"Oh, Professor Snape, I remember hearing you just now commanding the Slytherin prefect to keep all Slytherin students who were in the Great Hall from moving around. Did I mishear, or are my ears not working properly?" Professor McGonagall said with merciless precision.
Snape pressed his lips together but couldn't say anything in response.
"Mr. Malfoy, due to your unauthorised actions, twenty points from Slytherin. Twenty points each for all three of you!" Professor McGonagall said coldly.
The faces of the three Slytherins immediately became very pale.
"Also, all three of you will serve detention for one week."
Snape frowned, wanting to speak, but ultimately said nothing.
Although Professor McGonagall's punishment was severe, it followed the rules and didn't deduct extra points. He couldn't find fault with it.
However, as soon as Professor McGonagall finished speaking, Snape's gaze immediately fell on Dudley and the others.
"Then, Dudley Dursley, why are you several here? Dudley has special permission from Professor Dumbledore, so I won't question that, but Harry Potter and you others don't seem to have that authority. I don't even remember you appearing at the Halloween feast, so where did you go?" Snape asked with methodical precision.
This question immediately shifted everyone's focus from Malfoy to Dudley's group of four.
"We went to Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party. Several hundred ghosts can testify for us," Harry immediately explained.
"Deathday party?" Snape showed quite doubtful eyes.
"Today is indeed Sir Nicholas's five-hundredth anniversary deathday. I can testify to this. If they really attended the deathday party, those ghosts can indeed testify for them," Professor McGonagall proactively confirmed.
Professor McGonagall was obviously very familiar with Gryffindor's resident ghost.
"By the way, something happened to the ghosts too. Over a dozen ghosts were petrified," Harry continued with concern.
Hearing this revelation, everyone's expressions became even more grave.
Generally speaking, ghosts were rather special existences. Few magics could affect them, let alone petrify them.
And now, since even ghosts couldn't escape being petrified, it really meant...
Everyone's gazes unanimously turned to those abnormally crimson letters on the wall illuminated by flickering torchlight.
"Could it be... has the Chamber really been opened?" someone said in genuine terror.
"Professor, what is this Chamber, and what is this so-called heir?" Dudley spoke up with direct inquiry.
He had already seen that the Chamber was the key to understanding this situation.
And he didn't know what the situation with that Chamber was. Among the teachers present, some also showed confused expressions, but more were like Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, silent and grave.
"You don't need to know about this..." Professor McGonagall opened her mouth but quickly stopped, looking deeply at Dudley. "Actually, you have the right to know about this. Come to my office later."
Then Professor McGonagall arranged for everyone to move Filch and his cat to the hospital wing while having someone check on the ghosts' situation.
With Professor Dumbledore absent, McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress, had to shoulder the full responsibility.
"Let's go," Professor McGonagall said to Dudley.
"Wait, Professor. These three can't leave yet," Dudley didn't move but looked at the three Slytherins who were preparing to leave.
"Why can't we leave?" Malfoy said arrogantly. "Professor Snape already said that dark magic couldn't possibly have been cast by us. Are you questioning Professor Snape's abilities?"
Snape said nothing but stood beside Malfoy, looking coldly at Dudley. The meaning was self-evident.
Dudley smiled slightly, glanced at Snape, then mimicked Malfoy's characteristic slow drawl: "I certainly wouldn't dare question Professor Snape's abilities, but what he said was that with your three's abilities, you couldn't cast that level of dark magic. But this doesn't mean you didn't open the Chamber."
"Now, in the name of Hogwarts Interrogator, I issue you a summons for questioning. Please cooperate with my investigation, Mr. Malfoy."
"As well as Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle."